ABSTRACT
Religion is one of the most powerful social forces known to man. It can shape the way we view the world, frame our conceptions of right and wrong, and inform our sense of morality. It has the ability to drive people above and beyond themselves to thoughts of an afterlife, a higher calling, or even selfsacrifice. It has been a part of social movements from abolitionism and anticolonialism to the civil rights movements of the 1960s. It has driven great thinkers and philosophers in an effort to prove the existence of a God – or to disprove it. It has led men and women to take up arms in a fight they see as righteous and steadfast. It has also contributed to or been used as justification for some of history’s greatest tragedies – the Crusades, the Inquisition, and slavery. The events of 11 September 2001, the fighting in the former Yugoslavia, the ongoing debate about peace in the Middle East, the resurgence of the Religious Right in America, debates and confrontations about displays of the Ten Commandments – these events and others like them make it abundantly clear that religion continues to play an important part in the modern-day political arena. And yet a case can be made that in Europe the story is somehow unique.
Religion is undoubtedly still important in the continent of the Catholic Church, the Reformation, and the Crusades, but over time there has been a change. Church attendance and other indicators are at historic lows. The role of established churches in the political process has waned dramatically. A widespread push for secularism has become evident in many European states. Without a doubt, the nature of religion has changed in Europe, and quite possibly in irreversible ways. But not everyone agrees about the nature of this shift. There is an ongoing debate about the status of religion in today’s Europe. The trend towards secularism has been accompanied by ethnoreligious fighting in the Balkans, increased concern over immigrant Muslim populations in France and Germany, and continued religious devotion in certain areas such as Poland. Clearly, our understanding of modern religion is far from complete. There are countless reasons to study religion today. This book examines
one small part of the religious puzzle – modern religious nationalism. Specifically, why are certain national identities intertwined with religion?
This chapter begins that exploration by looking at how much of a role religion plays in contemporary society. Is God truly dead, at least in the political world? How far has secularization gone? More importantly, interesting and pertinent questions arise in the process – questions that point in the direction of interesting observations and important lapses in our understanding of modern religion. For instance, if secularization is as complete as has been believed in the past, then how do we explain the religious nature of tensions in Northern Ireland or the former Yugoslavia? Exactly what role does religion play in these conflicts? What do we make of the religious resurgence in many of the former Soviet states? What are the reasons for the increase in new religious groups in many parts of the continent? Why do growing Islamic minorities present such a threat to supposedly secular states?
Secularization and the death of God
